Card-index



H. MULLER.

CARD INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.8, I9I8. 1,350,665,

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. MULLER.

CARD INDEX.

APPLgcATIoN FILED Amm, 191s.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

D/l TE INDEX UNITED STATES HENRiY MULLER, 0F EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

v CARD-INDEX.

Application filed August 8, 1918.

To all whom t may conc/fra Be it known that I, HENRY MULLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in East Orange, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Indexes, oi which the following is a specification.

The invention is an improvement in card indexes and comprises more particularly a combination whereby a plurality of cards having tabs at their tops may be sorted in a common container to cause their tabs to occupy a plurality of columns corresponding to a desired classiication. The system is especially useful, for example, for the purpose of keeping track of meters in the business of gas and electric companies, but many other fields exist for its employment.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

Figure l is a plan view;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the box, showing a card in dotted lines, leader lines and designationsv being employed to indicate the series of tab column positions and the corresponding card notches which are engageable with the positioning member 7 to bring the tabs into these columns;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section in a fore and aft plane;

Figs. t and 5 are fragmentary perspective views; and

Fig. 6 is a face view of one of the cards.

The cards l are provided each with an upstanding tab 2 at the left-hand end, theseV tabs bearing distinguishing marks of suitable kind as indicated. The faces of the cards have suitable tabulation spaces and indicia; and in their lower portions are a series of comparatively deep cuts 3, preferably of V or tapered form, these cuts being in the same arrangement in all of the cards. Each card is provided with an alining and guiding edge 20. The tab 2 is arranged in one definite position on each card which is the same relative, position with respect to the ends of the cards for all of the cards. w

In the drawing the tab is shown at one end of each card and may be provided with an alining edge 21. Each tab is thus arranged in a fixed and predetermined relation to the series of notches. The cards may thus be arranged with the tabs in line one behind the other when starting the sorting operation, and thereafter .the cards may be Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

Serial No. 248,982.

grouped with thetabs alined and arranged to indicate respective groups while the classification 1s progressing.

The box, tray or drawer 4: is of sulicient width to permit the cards to be shifted laterally, z'. e. in the direction of their lengths, to be sorted into a multiplicity of overlapping positions, with their tabs in rows, as seen in Fig. l. At front and back the box is preferably provided with downwardly and inwardly sloping walls 5 and 6.

in the lower part oil the box is an elevated fore and aft positioning member 7 adapted to be selectively engaged by the cuts 3 so as to cause the tabs of the respective cards to fall into the desired rows or .columns and to prevent accidental lateral displacement therefrom. In the particular instance selected 'for illustration there are seven cuts in each card (including a half notch at the right end) and seven rows within which the tabs may lie. The spacing of the cuts and therefore or' the columns may be varied. If desired the columns may be designated in some suitable way upon the box, as for instance, by characters or legends upon the back of the box, as suggested in Figs. l and 2.

The positioning member 7 as herein illustrated, consists of a knife-like blade, tapering upward toa comparatively sharp or narrow edge, which in connection with the V-form of the cuts facilitates the guiding of the cards. The edge of this member is a substantial distance above the bottom of the box, and obviously its lower portion might be omitted, leaving a space between the member and the bottom.

The invention also provides movable means extending' over the tops of the cards for guiding them to their places and preventing dislodgment from the box. Such means may be varied, but preferably comprises one or more bars 8, the ends of which may be entered into sockets 9 and l0, which are arranged in two lines at front and back of the top of the box, the locations of these sockets corresponding to the possible positions of the left and right hand ends of the cards and their spacing corresponding to the spacing ot' the notches in the bottoms of the cards. The rear row of sockets has an overhanging rear ledge 11, beneath which the rear end of the bar extends, and locking means are provided in connection with the front row, which means may take various forms, but is pi'eferably embodied as a in guiding relation in slots 17 in lthe slide,

or if desired some positive holding means may be provided. Y

When cards are being sorted against either the left or right hand walls of the box, the guide bar or bars are not'used. For anV internriediate` column, however, the bar is placed in the ncorresponding pair of notches, and locked, and in placing cards in that group all that is necessary is to slide their left or right alining and' guiding side edges ory ends down along thebar. This n will cause the proper cut 3 to take over the member 7 and even though the movement'be not perfectly yvertical the particular formation of the cut and member' will insure the desired engagement. y

The bars 8 also constitute a locking means,

which may be placed in two of the pairs of sockets so as to retain all the-Various overlapping groups extending beneath it against coming out.

VThe system can be used for many different purposes and in different ways. The following explanation of one will be suggestive of its possibilities.

Gas and electric companies badge or number their meters, each division vhaving its own series of numbers. A division that has 125,000 meters would, of couise, number these meters from 1 to 125,000. But a division is divided into districts and the meters ,l y

cards must be resting Vagainst the guide bar.

are set in the different districts. i

Under the present system, meters,v when set vand removed, are entered on meter record Y books. The districts in-wliich they are set are designated by numbers lf2-3*@ as thecase may be. lhen an audit is made or when the meters instock are to be'marked againstv the inventory it is necessary tosearch through the books to find meters in certain districts or meters which are in stock.Y This is a very slow and unsatisfactory process, open to errors, especially when the meters have been set and removed a num- `ber of times and there are several entries inA column `for meters in stock` checked, and elle and the seventh for stock unchecked.

column for meters in stock unchecked. By a column is meant a row of tabs. Let it be assumed that the first column to the left is for district 1, the second for district 2, the

Vthird for district 3, the fourth and fifth for districts i and 5, the sixth for stock checlelcl, viously the uses ofcolumns six and seven can be reversed, and likewise the uses or order of any or all of the columns may be changed. Additionalfcolumns may, of course, be provided for.

In the illustration, before any meters are set the cards would beto the right in the box. Now suppose a number of meters are to be set in district 2. The operator may insert and lock one of the guide bars in the second pair of sockets from the left. This willmake it impossible to put any card Vinto the iirst row or column. Suppose the first meter set is 25,603.l rlhe operator finds and takes out the corresponding card, makes the necessary entry on it, and replaces it in the boX, sliding its left end down against the bar.

When meters are removed, say from district 3, one of the guide bars is inserted and locked in the third position from the left. This makes it impossible to take out any card the tab of which is to the left of the guide bar. This helps to avoid error. The operator finds the card, makes the removal entry on the same, and replaces it in the box, sliding its right-hand edge downward in contact with the right-hand side of the box.

When checking meters in stock vagainst the inventory, the operator may insert and lock one of the guide bars in the sixth position Tomake a misplacing of a card almost impossible the cards for d.ifferenttrays may be of different colors. Boxes can be made for any desired number of columns, and for any number cf cards, limited only bythe size of the cards.

lll)

a bar properly positioned at the right.

' When one of the bars is serving as a guide,

the other' Vmay be placed as a retainer to keep cards not'involved in the transfer from being accidentally removed or displaced. vWhen not in use the bars may be placed in the extreme right and left hand pairs of notches over the sides of the bou.

`Tn transferring cards from one column to another the bars may be placed in the appropriate positions, one to the left and the y other to the right, inwardly of the ends ef the box, and the cards removed upward in contact with one barand inserted downward in Vontact with the other bar, the bars thus reducing the effective length of the box as far as the transfer is concerned. lli/hen inserting thefcards against a righthand bar as a guide, it will be noted that the frs indicated at 2l, the tabs may be set inV slightly from the left-hand guidingedge 2O of the cards.

What l claim as new is:

l. ln a device of the class described, the combination of cards having series of notches in their lower edges, a box in which said cards may be shifted laterally, a longitudinal positioning member with which said notches may be selectively engaged, and a laterally movable guide extending lengthwise to the holder and arranged at the top of the box and above the tops of the cards thereby facilitating the engagement of the selected notches with said positioning member.

2. ln a device of the class described, the combination of cards having series of notches in their lower edges, a box in which said cards may be shifted laterally, a fore and aft positioning member with which said notches may be selectively engaged, and laterally movable means extending lengthwise to the holder and arranged at the top of the box and above the tops of the cards for guiding the cards into engagement with the positioning member.

3. ln a device of the class described, the combination of cards having series of notches in their lower edges, a holder in which said cards may be shifted laterally, a fore and aft positioning member with which said notches may be selectively enga-ged, a guide facilitating the engagement.

of the selective notches with said positioning member, and means determining a series of positions of the guide member corresponding to the series of notches in the cards.

il. A card index comprising cards having plural notches in their lower portions, a box wherein the cards may be shifted sidewise, a fore and aft positioning member in the lower part of the box adapted to be selectively engaged by said notches, and a movable bar at the top of the box and above the tops of the cards adapted to guide the ends of the cards as they are slid down into engagement with the positioning member.

5. A card index comprising cards having plural notches at the bottom, a box wherein the cards may he shifted sidewise, a fore and att positioning member in the lower part of the box adapted to be selectively engaged by said notches, a movable bar at the top of the box and above the tops of the cards adapted to guide the ends of the cards as they are slid down into engagement with the positioning member, and means for locking said n a position vfhere it holds the cards in place.

6. A. ard index comprising cards having plural notches at the bottom, a box wherein the cards may be shifted sidewise, a fore and aft positioning member in the lower part of the box adapted to be selectively engaged by said notches, a movable bar above the tops of the cards, means providing a series of sockets at the front and a correspending series at the back of the box to receive the ends of said bar, said sockets being'in positions corresponding to the various possible positions of the ends of the cards as determined by the arrangement of the notches therein, and means for holding the bar in the sockets.

7. A card index comprising cards having plural notches at the bottom, a box wherein the cards may be shifted sidewise, a fore and aft positioning member in the lower part of the box adapted to be selectively engaged by the notches in the cards, a movable fore and aft guide bar at the top of the box, and means for holding said guide bar in a series of positions corresponding to the various locations of the ends of the cards as determined by the cooperation of the notches and positioning member, said means comprising sockets at front and back of the box, and a locking slide cooperating with one series of sockets.

S. Card index apparatus comprising a box wider than the cards to be accommodated, fore and aft positioning means in the lower part of the box, series of sockets at the top of the box at front and back, and one or more guide and guard bars coperative with said sockets.

9. Card index apparatus comprising a box wider than the cards to be accommodated, fore and aft positioning means in the lower part of the box, series of sockets at the top of the box at front and back, one or more guide and guard bars cooperative with said sockets, and means for locking said bars.

10. A card index comprising cards having notches in their lower portions, a box wider than the cards and' having elevated guiding and positioning means disposed fore and aft in its lower part, and one or more movable guide bars at the top, the vertical distance between the upper and lower guides being less than the height of the guiding edges of the cards.

11. A card for card indexes, said card having a series of spaced notches in its lowerV edge and provided with an alining side edge located in a predetermined, iXed relation to said series of spaced notches, said card carrying an index tab located at the same end of the said card as the alining side edge, said tab being thus arranged in a Xed and predetermined relation to the series of notches.

12. A set of cards for a card index, each card being provided with a series of spaced notches located in its bottom edge and having an alining side edge, each of said cards carrying an index tab arranged at the same end of said `card as the alining side edge, each of said tabsbeing thus arrangedin a fixed and predetermined relation to thev 15 series of notches.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY MULLER.

Witnesses:

' ANNA M. MULLER, C. H. MULLER. 

